


golden

by ggigigoode



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Drinking, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Lesbian AU, Mentions of homophobia, Pining, Weed, crystal is a simp, loosely based off of golden by harry styles, popular! cheerleader! gigi, wallflower! crystal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 04:28:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26467210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ggigigoode/pseuds/ggigigoode
Summary: •.☆.•*•.☆.•*•.☆.•*•.☆Crystal isn’t exaggerating when she says that Gigi is the most radiant person she’s ever met. No, Crystal truly means it when she says that she believes Gigi Goode is the embodiment of sunlight.So, when Gigi begins to send Crystal smiles in the busy school corridors, barely even there, but little seedlings of acknowledgement nevertheless, Crystal is a goner.// “She’s way too bright for me, it’s hopeless.”•.☆.•*•.☆.•*•.☆.•*•.☆
Relationships: Gigi Goode/Crystal Methyd
Comments: 31
Kudos: 98





	1. chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> i have poured everything into writing this fic over the past month or so - there's 5 chapters so get ready, this is going to be a journey!
> 
> i hope you enjoy x

⋆☆⋆

Crystal isn’t exaggerating when she says that Gigi is the most radiant person she’s ever met. No, Crystal _truly_ means it when she says that she believes Gigi Goode is the embodiment of sunlight.

So, when Gigi begins to send Crystal smiles in the busy school corridors, barely even there, but little seedlings of acknowledgement nevertheless, Crystal is a goner.

At first, Crystal couldn’t help but be confused - it wasn’t as if she was ever exactly popular. To many, she faded into the background; a wallflower, some might say.

Her perfectly styled, brown, wavy mullet, her obscure, vividly colourful stylistic choices and the fact that she had been open about her sexuality as a lesbian since the beginning of sophomore year, warranted some unwanted attention from the likes of many - namely, Gigi Goode’s best friends.

At best, it was light teasing; name calling, jokes which focused on her sexuality, being shunned because of her out-there outfits. But, all in all, Crystal Elizabeth was often the subject of ridicule, especially in the younger years of her high school experience, when she was much more insecure and was considered an easy target.

Despite this though, Crystal never seemed to lose her positive mindset, not in terms of confidence and how she perceived herself, anyway. The brunette wasn’t lacking in the friend department, and she’d realised that she couldn’t please everybody. Instead, she’d found solace in the kids similar to her, those who enjoyed art, fashion, oh, and getting stoned. Most importantly, she was beyond comfortable with her sexuality and identity, and this openness, paired with her shy confidence was the subject of envy from many alike her.

And anyway, it wasn’t as if Gigi Goode was ever one of the girls to pick on her. Sure, maybe she’d laughed in the background a few times when she was the victim to the childish antics of Nicky or Jaida, but she never exactly joined in, which was something, right?

Gigi’s amusement at Crystal getting picked on by her friends and their sharp tongues didn’t stop Crystal dreaming about the taller girl, though.

It didn’t stop her fantasising about running her fingers through Gigi’s light ginger hair, and how she desired to place a gentle kiss on Gigi’s button nose before tucking one of the loose strands of Gigi’s high ponytail back behind her ears - it’d be her way of saying goodbye before they went to their separate classes.

In fact, it even didn’t stop her imagining how Gigi would love to be called princess, and how pretty she’d sound whining impatiently whilst Crystal would nip and kiss at the pulse point of her beautiful, porcelain neck.

Perhaps you could say that the first smile Gigi sent Crystal was the beginning of everything.

It unravelled all of the feelings inside Crystal’s heart that were already overflowing at the seams and tipped her hopeless crush over the edge of a cliff.

⋆

“You’re gawking-“ Daegen, Crystal’s best friend began, before being interrupted by Yvie, a senior the pair met smoking around the spot where their group usually gets stoned during lunch break.

Similar to Crystal, Yvie too was transfixed on one of the cheerleaders, Scarlet Envy.

“You know, has anyone ever told you how unsubtle you are when you dig a girl, Methyd?”

“Leave it alone, Oddly. I wasn’t even looking, keep your voice down!” Crystal squawked back, unable to contain her sheepish smile as she narrowed her eyes at the green haired girl, glaring and furrowing her eyebrows - another way of telling Yvie to shut the fuck up.

“Just talk to her, Crys,” Daegen suggested with a smirk and a gentle pat on Crystal’s back as Yvie nodded in agreement. “Maybe you could start with saying hello,” she continued sarcastically, knowingly grinning. “There’s no need to disintegrate like a loser every time she as little as looks your way.”

The brunette ran her fingers through her mullet with a sign and a shake of her head as she gently shut the door of her locker, groaning, after placing her AP History textbook snug inside.

“She’s way too bright for me, it’s hopeless,”

“Hey, your girl smiles at you. More than I get,” Yvie grinned with a playful glint in her eyes.

“Give it a rest, girl, you and Scarlet might as well be ramming your tongues down each other’s throats the way I hear the two of you flirt in math class.”

Yvie’s laugh bellowed down the hall as she began to walk away from the pair, setting off to her last class of the day, not without turning back to yell “Later, nerds.” championing a warm grin.

⋆

It was 6:15am when Crystal rolled out of bed. Today was a Tuesday, meaning her first class of the day was Literature, or most importantly, her first class of the day was with Gigi.

Crystal wanted to impress the taller girl, hell, she wanted to give Gigi a reason to continue smiling at her.

Despite being confused, and slightly worried about said smiles, the attention she was receiving was addictive. At this point, Crystal had agreed with herself that even if this was all one big giant setup - it was beyond worth it. Gigi was the best kind of antidote possible; she left her wanting more, and more, and more. Crystal was drinking her up, and she couldn’t ever imagine being bored of her.

Just as the bell began to ring, Crystal sat in her Literature class assigned seat next to Widow, all dolled up wearing her favourite denim jacket which she’d hand-painted and crafted with tonnes of knick-knacks she had collected since she was small. She’d even polished her usually scruffy, black platform Doc Martens, and with this, came a surge of fresh confidence.

Crystal looked _good_ , and she knew it.

When Gigi entered the classroom, lightly traipsing behind Jaida and Nicky, Crystal caught the girl’s eye, and wow, what a mistake that was.

“Speaking of clowns, Crystal Methhead, I didn’t know the circus had come to town!” Jaida spat with a coarse laugh.

Crystal knew better than to respond, instead opting to stay quiet.

“That jacket is fucking disgusting, even I thought you were better than that,” Nicky chimed in with a snicker. “Is it supposed to look like a 5-year-old has gone ape shit and let out all their frustrations on it?”

When the three of them sat down in their assigned seats, Crystal furrowed her eyebrows softly, swallowing the lump in her throat that had begun to form, since this time their petty insults hurt more than usual. She’d actually put effort into her appearance today, and for once, she was hoping that it’d pay off.

“Don’t listen to them, girl. I think you look cool.” Widow said gently, smiling at Crystal.

⋆

Throughout the rest of the lesson, Crystal had desperately tried to stay on track by listening to the teacher and taking the appropriate notes down when needed, but unsurprisingly the floor was much more interesting. Her mind was going a mile a minute - how could she have been so stupid? Crystal wanted to kick herself, she wanted to pound on the door of her locker until her fists ached, she wanted to smoke until her lungs gave out-

“Um, C-Crystal? I’m sorry about Nicky and Jaida. I know I shouldn’t be apologising on their behalf, and they should be apologising on their own terms, but you know what they’re like,”

Crystal turned around with wide, doe eyes.

She was face to face with Gigi Goode, and at this very moment, she could feel all of the air being sucked out of her lungs.

Fuck, her voice was like melted honey dripping into Crystal’s ears. All soft syllables with a sweet, gentle tone. Just the sight of her made Crystal’s legs sink into the floor like jelly.

“N-no, no, it’s okay!” Crystal overcompensated for her nerves with a huge, toothy grin. “I mean, I guess I’m kinda used to it.” She continued with a light shrug of her shoulders.

“If it means anything, I think your jacket is cute,” Gigi began, smiling shyly at the smaller girl, who looked like she’d shrunk since the first time she saw her back in the classroom today. Gigi silently prayed that Crystal wasn’t afraid of her the same way she seemed to be of her friends. “You’re so creative, it’s awesome. You know, they tease me too, usually for choosing my sewing machine over hanging out,”

Crystal giggled as Gigi continued to ramble. She was in complete awe of the taller girl - the perfect curve of her toned stomach was beautifully accentuated by the tight-fitting crop top she wore - it complimented her slender build, and honestly, it looked like it was made to be walked down these halls by her. As mid-morning began to blossom, the sunlight did too - it peaked in from the windows above the lockers, colliding with Gigi’s brown hazelnut eyes. Crystal could swear that she’d never seen eyes look so warm and inviting.

“Anyways, once again I apologise for their behaviour, it was totally uncalled for!” Crystal sent Gigi a lopsided grin in response - her breath really had escaped her. “I’m Gigi, by the way,” She continued, lightly placing a hand on Crystal’s arm before turning to walk to her next class.

“I think we’re a lot more similar than you probably think, Ms. Methyd.”

Crystal felt electrified, as if Gigi Goode had breathed a fresh, new life into her.

The last sentence Gigi had said to her before heading off was replaying and replaying itself over in Crystal’s mind as she practically skipped down the halls to class, wishing time would fast forward to the moment she could relive the conversation through her friends.

⋆

“No, she was kind, and warm, and funny, and-and she fucking touched me Dae - I swear my heart like leaped out of my chest or something, it was fucking golden. She’s golden,”

“Easy, Gabbie Hanna. You’re on some dumb poetic shit right now, and it’s making you sound like a fuckin’ virgin,” Daegen light-heartedly quipped back. Secretly, it warmed her heart to see Crystal like this, it just sucked that she was head over heels for Gigi Goode. Straight, popular, cheerleader, Gigi Goode. But hey, Daegen knew first-hand that Crystal never opted to play easy.

“Aw, is our wittle Cryssy in lo-“

“Oh my god, Daya, I’ve spoken to her like once!”

“Mmhm, are you coming out back to smoke?” Daya said unable to contain her laugh.

“No, sis, I have detentio- Fuck! I’m already late!”

“Something always seems to ruin a good day, right, diva?” Daegen called after her as she scurried away to the classroom where detention was held.

Crystal frantically turned back to flip the girls off, still grinning to herself as she pushed open the classroom door.

“Crystal Elizabeth, it seems the bell has pipped you to the post. Take a seat, and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll sit quietly.” Mrs Cox said sternly, motioning to the only spare seat in the room.

The seat was next to Gigi, and Crystal cursed and praised the heavens simultaneously.

The two girls locked eyes as Crystal began to settle in her seat, and Crystal couldn’t help but grin at the ginger girl, already amused at whatever reason the girl had for being stuck in detention.

After returning the smile, Gigi began to scribble on the lined notepad lying on the table in front of her, passing Crystal a carefully folded note over as quickly as she began writing it.

Crystal picked up on how Gigi ever so slightly stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth when writing, and she swears that she could feel her heart disintegrate in her chest.

**[Gigi]**

**spilt foundation all over my geography homework… i couldn’t POSSIBLY have handed it in :P**

God, Gigi dotted all of her i’s with hearts - the sight making Crystal bite her lip hard to contain the smile that was threatening to overflow.

Upon realising the pure stupidity of her reasoning, a loud giggle escaped Crystal’s mouth as she raised her eyebrow at the redhead. So, Gigi really was a princess, huh.

Gigi’s face lit up seeing Crystal laugh at her. Gigi’s tongue danced around her teeth as a light blush began to cloud her face, and she realised that she liked this side of Crystal - in fact, she liked when Crystal teased her; having all of her attention like this made Gigi’s heart beat a little faster than it usually did.

“That’s naughty,” Crystal mouthed to Gigi, scrunching up her nose and smirking at the taller girl, playing up to Gigi’s good humour.

In response, Gigi playfully scoffed, pushing Crystal lightly whilst pursing her lips, leaving both of the girls giggling at each other.

“Ladies! Have the two of you forgotten where you are? Be quiet, I won’t ask you again.”

As soon as Mrs Cox turned her attention back to marking test papers, Crystal grabbed Gigi’s battered notebook before the girl could resist.

She quickly scribbled down a note, sliding the notepad back over to Gigi.

**[Crystal]**

**now ur getting ME into trouble as well, ms. goode?! and here i was thinking you were a picture-perfect princess </3 **

⋆

“Fuck, I really don’t feel like going to class right now, Cox’s bad energy has sucked all the life out of me,” Crystal began as her and Gigi left the detention room and were now back out on the school corridor. “This may be a long shot, but do you wanna come smoke with me? I missed out on it during lunch,”

“Sure! Oh, um, I’ve like, never really done it before, what if I can’t do it properly?”

Crystal chuckled in response as Gigi pouted at her - “I’ll show you the ropes. They call me spliffmaster420 for a very valid reason,”

It warmed Gigi’s heart seeing how comfortable Crystal was becoming with her in such a short amount of time. It’s funny how big of a difference a few hours can make.

“Follow me, it’s just under here,” Crystal announced, leading Gigi to their spot, under the bleachers. It wasn’t much, of course, all that lay on the floor was a few old tartan picnic blankets that Lux stole from her Dad during sophomore year.

“You guys smoke here?! We train nearby, you know, um, for cheerleading,” Gigi said, wide eyed, like Crystal was leading her into a whole new world, and in fact, maybe she was. “Wow - you have, like, a setup situation going on with the cute blankets,”

“Desperate times call for desperate measures, Ms. Goode,” Crystal replied, settling into her usual spot on the blanket next to Gigi, both of them sat cross-legged.

Crystal finished up rolling the blunt, skilfully rotating it between her finger and thumb, before sealing it shut with a lick.

“How do you even roll? That looks so, like, foreign to me,”

“Pretty girls don’t roll, Geege,”

“That’s funny, since you’re awfully pretty, Crystal,” Gigi replied with a playful wink. She couldn’t help but feel slightly accomplished upon seeing a slight blush creep over the brunette’s cheeks.

Within seconds of lighting the blunt up, Crystal took a huge puff, immediately feeling the oh so familiar feeling of relaxation take over her. Upon exhalation, she felt the worries, embarrassment and frustrations of the day flow out of her. Crystal wanted to take this moment in both hands and savour it - she was smoking with Gigi Goode; straight, popular, cheerleader, Gigi Goode; her crush, Gigi Goode. This was the type of moment Crystal wanted to revel in forever; freeze time and return back to.

Crystal passed the blunt over to Gigi with a gentle smile. “Take a puff, inhale it deep into your lungs and hold it for a few seconds, then exhale. Slowly.”

After exhaling, Gigi inevitably ended up being subject to a spluttering coughing fit, squinting her eyes as the smoke almost began to engulf the two of them.

Crystal laughed affectionately at the redhead, fishing her bottle of water out of her backpack to hand to Gigi. “Take it easy, princess.”

Gigi had Crystal completely enthralled.

Maybe it was the fact that Crystal was seeing Gigi in such a vulnerable state, like she was uncovering a different layer of the pristine popular girl, or maybe it was because Crystal found the way that Gigi had never smoked weed before, despite going to frat parties monthly, to be so endearing. (Perhaps it was a mixture of both).

The way Gigi blushed at the nickname wasn’t helping either.

“You ready to go again?”

Gigi nodded in response with eager eyes, the rosy tint still left on her cheeks. She took a hit, slower this time, executing it perfectly, without a cough or even a single splutter.

“I feel, like, air.” Gigi closed her eyes for a second, allowing the high to inundate her fully as she lay her head on Crystal’s shoulder.

For the first time in months, Crystal truly felt at peace. Perhaps the weed was hitting, but with Gigi’s head resting on her shoulder like this, everything seemed to slot into place. Crystal felt invincible.

Well, she did, for a hot minute.

“I forgot my fuckin’ purse down here, lemme just gra- Oh, shit! I didn’t mean to ruin your lil’ moment,” Daegen’s voice boomed, seemingly bursting the bubble the pair had created, because as soon as Crystal’s best friend came into sight, she could feel Gigi’s muscles immediately tense up.

“No, no, um, there was no moment,” Gigi began, instantly standing up timidly, eyes glued to the grass. “Crystal was just helping me with the literature homework, um, thanks a bunch Crystal! See you around, Daegen!”

Fuck.

As soon as Gigi had left the spot to go home, Crystal began reeling - physically and emotionally.

“Thanks a _lot_ ,” She spat at Daegen, her eyes gleaming with anger and intoxication combined.

“I didn’t purposely leave my fuckin’ purse here, Crys. We never bring people back here anyway, Yvie doesn’t even bring Scarlet here, Jesus,”

“It was going so fucking well, Daegen, fuck!” Crystal raked a hand through her mullet, placing her head into her hands. “Did you see her? Goddammit, she looked so fucking scared. It was going so well,”

“I know a closet case when I see one.”

“Just leave it, get your fucking purse. Let’s walk home.”

⋆☆⋆


	2. chapter two

⋆☆⋆

It has been three days.

Three fucking days, and Gigi hasn’t even sent as little as a look Crystal’s way.

Things were back to the basics - Crystal almost wished that Gigi had never spoken to her that day; she should’ve just laughed along with Jaida and Nicky as usual, because now, Crystal’s infatuation was through the roof. God, it was nothing - a spark that was barely even lit, but Crystal couldn’t stop thinking about the how Gigi looked at her with those wide, welcoming eyes, and how her laugh was the embodiment of liquid sunshine in a bottle. The way Gigi’s cheeks reddened in response to being called princess left Crystal wondering what might’ve happened if their time together continued uninterrupted; if their bubble was never burst.

 _Might’ve_ being the key word, here. Crystal was barking up the wrong tree with Gigi Goode, and she was fully aware of it, but she felt herself craving more of the ginger girl, desperate for anything she could get.

“Cheer up, buttercup,” Yvie grinned at Crystal from across the cafeteria table. “It’s Friday, baby! Here’s to the weekend.”

“You coming to Dae’s tonight? I wanna finish off that painting we started,” Lux asked silently hoping that Crystal would say yes, knowing how down she’d been over the past few days.

“I wish, but we’re getting assigned partners for a history project last period. My night is gonna be pretty much eaten up by that.”

“Lame,” Daegen laughed through a mouthful of her sandwich.

The girls continued laughing and talking whilst finishing their lunches until the bell rung, signalling that it was time for the last lesson of the week. In Crystal’s case, her last lesson was history which meant it was another tortuous hour of being ignored by the one person she was desperate for any morsel of attention from.

⋆

“Good afternoon juniors,” Mr. Rodgers begun once everyone was settled in their seats and the hour was underway. “Since we’ve discussed the context and reasoning behind the American Civil War, for the next two weeks, your project will be to conduct some research into one of the Union or Confederate army generals, in order to prepare you for what for the content of the war itself. It can be anyone; from Grant to Lee, it’s your choice. I will be assigning you all partners, and the two of you will have to present your research to the class.”

Crystal felt herself groan internally - things would be so much easier if she could choose her own partner, because if she paired with someone like Widow or Jan, she knew together they could get the project done quickly and successfully. Glancing upon the room, she couldn’t imagine being paired with anyone worse than one of the footballers. She sent a silent prayer to the heavens that Mr. Rogers would be kind and would pair her up with someone she was actually well acquainted with.

“Crystal Elizabeth and Gigi Goode - I’m sure the two of you will make a great team.” The sound of Mr. Rogers voice sounding out both of their names threw Crystal out of her head and into the reality of the classroom. Crystal glanced over to Gigi with frantic eyes, and she began to question if things could possibly get any more awkward.

Crystal couldn’t tell if she wanted to kiss or kick her teacher. Maybe, just maybe, this was a sign.

“Feel free to spend the rest of today’s session discussing who you’d like to research and how you’re going to present your findings. Have fun!”

The students began to spread out around the classroom, finding a spot to begin working on planning their projects with their partners, meaning Crystal and Gigi were sat side by side, similar to that of detention a few days prior.

“Hey,”

“Hey,”

It immediately felt like all the walls they’d broken down on Tuesday had been rebuilt, only this time, the walls were higher and clad with titanium.

Crystal thought it’d be best to break the ice. I mean, they did have a project to complete after all, awkwardness or not. “Any idea on which general you’d like to research into?”

“Bold of you to assume I know who any of these musty ass white men are,” Gigi quipped back with a slight smile, earning a laugh from Crystal.

“Hmm, maybe it was pretty dense of me to assume that you were listening. I’m already aware of how much you love to rebel against the status quo when it comes to homework, and assumedly project work, Ms. Goode,”

Maybe leaving their interrupted smoking session unmentioned was for the best - Crystal realised that she’d rather have Gigi in her life in this way than not at all; even if the project work was sort of forced and unnatural for any kind of friendship building.

“Anyway, your place or mine?” Crystal continued, a hint of playfulness in her tone.

“Um, you can come to mine, if that’s cool. Is 5pm good for you?” Gigi replied shyly.

Suddenly, Crystal couldn’t wait for the school day to be over.

⋆

5pm rolled around much quicker than Crystal expected, and when she found herself stood in front of Gigi’s door on her front porch, the butterflies swimming around in her stomach seemed uncontrollable.

After checking out her appearance on her iPhone’s camera, straightening the collar of her leopard print button-up shirt and running a hand through her mullet, she rang the doorbell.

“Hey, Crystal. Welcome to the Goode residence, come in, come in!” Gigi said light-heartedly as she opened the door to the brunette, who, at this point was breathless. The idea of spending an evening with her crush, even if it was to simply work on their school project, sent her mind and heart spiralling.

“Hey Gigi,” Crystal responded with a shy grin.

“Would you like anything to drink?”

“Um, water is fine, thank you,”

“Cool, my room is up the stairs to the left, make yourself at home. I’ll be right back.”

Crystal stepped over the threshold, drinking in her surroundings with wide gulps. Gigi’s bedroom was tidy in comparison to her own, and it smelt sweet - a mixture of Gigi’s floral perfume and the black cherry candle that was burning on her bedside table. A big sewing machine sat on a desk, and Crystal couldn’t help but smile upon seeing it, remembering how Gigi said she’d often choose the machine over hanging out with her friends.

For a second Crystal felt like she didn’t belong here, that she was gorging herself on something that wasn’t hers to see. The room was too warm, too bright, too comfortable, and the whole atmosphere was too overwhelmingly _Gigi_. Crystal couldn’t help but desperately wish that she was here for another reason other than schoolwork; maybe in another time, in a different place, she would’ve been.

Crystal’s eyes were scanning over the few polaroid pictures on Gigi’s white, otherwise bare walls when the ginger girl entered, carrying two glasses and a glass jug of iced water. The pictures were arranged neatly, perfectly tacked onto the wall in a row just above her desk - Crystal couldn’t wrap her head around how minimalist, yet so inviting and homely the girl’s bedroom was; it fit her so perfectly.

“Oh god, you’re not looking at all my embarrassing pictures, are you?” Gigi playfully groaned.

“They’re nice,” Crystal squeaked in response, her cheeks blushing light red realising she’d been caught snooping.

“This one’s my favourite, see,” Gigi grinned, pointing to a picture of her and a dog cuddled up together on a couch. Crystal noticed that when Gigi smiled, she smiled with her whole face. “That’s my dog, Nancy. My mom is out walking her at the minute, but maybe you can meet her later on,”

“Yeah!” Crystal’s face lit up. “I mean, cool, yeah. I love dogs,” Crystal silently kicked herself upon realising how excitable she sounded. She didn’t want to seem too forward, nor did she want Gigi to think she was a loser.

“Someone’s excited. Thank _God_ you’re a dog person,”

“Duh! Dogs are a girl’s best friend,” Crystal laughed, sitting next to Gigi on her bed as she began to get her notes out of her bag.

Crystal noticed the soft toy peeping out from under Gigi’s duvet cover; a small, fluffy giraffe. It made Crystal’s heart swell, and, in this moment, she knew, as she was sitting on Gigi Goode’s bed, that she was truly and utterly fucked.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the taller girl shyly smiling at her expectantly.

“So, where the hell do we even begin on this thing?” Gigi began, resting the right-hand side of her face in her palm. “I think you are a lot more knowledgeable on this topic area than me. I mean, you’ve come very well prepared.” She finished, motioning to the notes Crystal had sprawled out on the bed.

“History is fun, Geege!” Crystal quipped back with a grin. “Let’s just do it on General Grant - he’s the easy option. Here, pass me the notepad, lemme get started.”

⋆

“All this hard brain-work has got me hungry,”

“Like you did anything other than just sitting here and looking pretty. But yeah, I could eat,” Crystal replied, smirking at Gigi who was lying on her front opposite her, feet twirling in the air as she inspected her nails.

Admittedly, Crystal may have gotten this project finished a lot quicker with a different partner, but she knew that she wouldn’t change working with Gigi for the world. The soft looks, Gigi’s honey-sweet laugh, and seeing her nibble on the end of her pen when she was thinking, were all details that were now etched into Crystal’s brain, and she was fully aware that these moments were going to be the new muses of her daydreams.

“Hey! You couldn’t have started this project without my gentle encouragement and my beautiful handwriting,” Gigi pouted, softly pushing Crystal who feigned hurt. “Anyway, let me go grab some snacks. Is there anything you’re particularly in the mood for?”

“I’m not fussy - anything is fine,”

After sprinting up and down the stairs in record speed, Gigi returned, dumping an array of snacks on the bed in front of Crystal. “Pick your poison, Methyd,”

“You know,” Crystal began through a mouthful of Twizzlers. “I kind of get what you meant when you said we’re similar. I like hanging with you, even if it is to do this shitty project for Rodgers,”

“I like hanging with you too, Crys. I’m sorry to bring it up again, but I just feel terrible about how my friends treat you-“

“Hey, don’t worry about it. Can’t please everyone,”

“No, but like, they don’t even know you - that’s my issue!” Gigi groaned, looking at the brunette with a sad smile.

“We’re complete opposites though, Gigi. I mean, of course they’re never going to like someone like me. A few days ago, I would never have imagined that you and I would be so alike,”

“But, I have my differences with Jaida and Nicky too-“

“How come you guys are so close then?” Crystal interrupted, chewing her cheek anxiously, worrying she’d slip up and say the wrong thing.

“I don’t know, um, they’re my sisters, you know? They’ve always been there; it’s always been us three. I love them both so much, but I just don’t enjoy some of the things they do - like, you know, partying, stupid hook-ups, the daily dramas of high school life, I guess,”

Crystal nodded in agreement; everything was all soft voices and shy smiles, and as their eyes met, Crystal felt like Gigi was one look away from swallowing her whole.

“Well, what do you like, Ms. Goode?”

“Um, my sewing machine,” Gigi began her list, squinting her eyes and pursing her lips as she looked up to the ceiling in deep thought. “Fashion, beautiful people, love… I’ve been told it’s written all over my face when I like someone, almost as if love invades all of my features, or something. Oh, and Nancy! Duh, that dog is my best friend. Cheer is fun too. Oh, I don’t know, um, I’m rambling.” She finished, biting her lip as she looked down at her clasped hands, feeling slightly exposed, especially considering Crystal’s piercing stare.

Gigi felt slightly naked, and she couldn’t figure out whether this was a good thing, a bad thing, or a complete mixture of both.

⋆

**[Gigi] 1:17pm**

**hey hey heyy my place at 5 as usual? xo**

-

**[Crystal] 1:22pm**

**sure thing, see ya soon pretty girl <3 **

-

Crystal and Gigi had quickly fallen into a routine over the past week, and much to Crystal’s dismay, their project was coming along very nicely. They had been working on creating a PowerPoint to present to their History class next week, and it didn’t seem like it’d be much longer before it’d be perfected and finished.

Currently, Crystal found herself in a position where she was completely dreading finishing the project, anxiously turning over the possibilities of what may happen after the work was completed; the worst possible scenario being that her and Gigi go their separate ways and never talk again. Crystal knew she was in deep - at this point, she couldn’t imagine her days without seeing the redhead. Often, she’d spend classes counting down the hours until it was time to go home, and then she’d sit in her bedroom counting down the minutes until it was time to see Gigi.

The brunette couldn’t help but hope they could squeeze at least a few more evenings out of the project work, as admittedly, the majority of the time they didn’t actually get much work done. Gigi was distracting, to say the least.

Now, it was Friday afternoon, meaning it was exactly a week since the work was set, and Crystal, commemorating the end of a great week, was out back under the bleachers.

“Share the love, Methyd.” Yvie said, reaching over to take a hit of the spliff the girls were sharing.

Crystal leaned back, resting on her elbows, grinning lazily at Daegen who was sat opposite her.

“Someone’s got that glow,” Daegen chuckled. “How’s it going with Goode, anyways?”

“She’s cool, Dae. I like hanging out with her.” Crystal responded, taking a final hit before stomping out the butt under her boot. “It’s weird, I truly feel content with my life at the minute.”

“I hope it stays this way forever, Crys,” Daya chimed in with a soft smile. “Our wittle Cryssy really is in love.”

Rolling her eyes and shaking her head in response, Crystal lolled back, looking up at the blue afternoon sky filtering through the cracks in the bleachers. Sometimes, these warm April days she spends with her best friends in their own little spot, sort of made her want junior year to never end and replay and replay itself; she swears she’d never get bored.

⋆☆⋆

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my ask box on tumblr @ggigigoode is always open for prompts etc  
> feel free to dm me, i don't bite! :)


	3. chapter three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta-d by the lovely frankenvenus, who has been an amazing motivator throughout the past few days - they are to thank for the nightly updates <3

⋆☆⋆

“Hey there, Nancy girl,” Crystal began as she quickly shut Gigi’s front door as she entered upon hearing the scuttling of the dog’s little paws on the hardwood flooring.

She kicked her shoes off, following Nancy into the sitting room where Gigi was lounging on the couch. Crystal sat down next to Gigi, leaning over slightly to scratch Nancy behind her ears, the dog licking her hand lovingly.

“First you steal my heart, then you steal my dog!” Gigi rolled her eyes, watching Crystal intently with a warm smile.

“Aw, Geege, do you want some Methyd lovin’ too?” Crystal grinned, swinging an arm around Gigi’s shoulders pulling the redhead into her. “See, I like you both equally.”

“Gross! come on, idiot, let’s go upstairs.” Gigi responded as she got up off the couch, grabbing Crystal’s wrist to drag her into the hallway and up the stairs to her bedroom.

As she followed Gigi up the stairs, Crystal let out a breath she didn’t even know that she was holding. From the moment she walked into the sitting room, Crystal had become hyper aware of just how flirty Gigi was being this evening, and she worried that her heart might just jump out of her chest, or worst, Gigi would see the effect that she was having on the brunette.

“So, what’s on the agenda tonight, Crys?” Gigi said as she plonked herself into her usual spot on her bed, immediately resting her head on Crystal’s shoulder.

“First off, what’s gotten you so happy, princess?” Crystal responded, quirking an eyebrow at the girl.

“I’m just happy, I don’t know, I’ve been enjoying our little evenings together. I wish we became friends sooner, it kind of feels like I’ve known you forever, or at least my soul has,”

Crystal tried not to wince at the word _friend_ , instead trying to focus on how Gigi was looking up at her with those eyes that could persuade Crystal to do anything she wanted. Crystal really was putty in Gigi’s perfectly manicured, moisturised, insanely soft hands.

“Oh wow, who knew cheerleaders have souls!”

“But, I’m not just _any_ cheerleader,”

“You’re right, I almost forgot… You’re head cheerleader, even worse,”

“Well yeah, but no, what I meant was, I’m _your_ cheerleader.” Gigi finished with an exaggerated grin, fluttering her eyelashes at Crystal.

Crystal couldn’t control the blush that submerged her usually tan cheeks, and yes, she felt slightly stupid, knowing that Gigi was quite clearly joking. She silently cursed and praised straight girls simultaneously - I mean, how could anyone resist those eyes?

The tension was palpable, almost as if a plate in the atmosphere of Gigi’s very warm bedroom had tectonically shifted. The fact Gigi’s stare hadn’t faltered since the sentence left her mouth made Crystal slightly hot around the collar - the idea of Gigi being hers wasn’t a new idea in Crystal’s mind, in fact, she’d been pretty fond of the idea for months now, but this fondness grew even more so now Gigi had said so herself.

Crystal cleared her throat to alleviate the room of the silence that had fallen over the both of them. The silence wasn’t awkward per se, it was more than that - it was electric, and the prospect began to terrify Crystal, especially since the post-high haze was setting in. “Now, um, General Grant time, woo! I wonder if we can drag this out over a few more evenings…”

“Hey, even after this dumb project is finished, I don’t want our evenings to end,” Gigi looked back up at Crystal meaningfully, her head still snug on the brunette’s shoulder. Her eyes glimmered with hope, almost as if she was slightly scared of rejection.

“Really? You mean that?” Crystal’s eyes widened slightly in response. “I’ve been over here worrying that we may never speak again afterwards,”

“You’re dumb, Methyd. Now, let’s get started, shall we?”

“Gigi Goode prompting us to get on with work?! Unheard of.” Crystal’s reaction resulted in one of Gigi’s gentle, light-hearted pushes that Crystal had grown to love so much.

⋆

For what felt like the hundredth time in the past two weeks, Crystal found herself standing in front of Gigi’s door on her front porch - she couldn’t believe how nervous she’d been standing in this exact spot a week or so prior, as now the Goode residence was quickly becoming a home from home for Crystal. She found herself becoming accustomed to cuddles with Nancy, conversations with Kristi, Gigi’s mom, and talking about anything and everything with Gigi on her bed whilst gorging themselves on various different snacks; oh, and of course, doing work here and there, too.

Tonight, however, was the final evening before their project work and presentation was due ready for the last period of Friday afternoon.

Whilst Crystal was slightly sad these evenings were officially coming to an end, (yes, Gigi Goode’s hold on Crystal actually made schoolwork fun), she was also excited for what the next few weeks may bring to their relationship.

Crystal had heard from Daya that there was a party happening tomorrow night at Jan’s house, one of Gigi’s cheerleading friends, and despite parties not typically being Crystal’s scene, she couldn’t stop thinking about how she may uncover a new layer of Gigi there.

The front door opened, and Crystal was welcomed with that beautiful, toothy grin which Crystal can’t quite seem to escape, even in her dreams. Not that she’s complaining.

“Good evening, princess! How are you today? Tell me about your day,” Crystal said as she immediately kicked her shoes off, following Gigi up the stairs to the room she’d quickly started to adore.

“I’m even better, now you’re here,” Gigi began with a light-hearted, overly exaggerated wink. “Geography was a bore, but hey, what’s new. Lunch was fun though, we were all together for the first time in days since Jaida kept getting placed in fucking detention - but she’s free now, thank the lord! Oh, also, Jan is throwing a party tomorrow night at her place since her parents are on holiday, will you be attending?” Gigi rambled as she usually did when reeling off the different aspects of her day.

“I’m not sure, Daya is begging me to go but parties aren’t really my scene, Geege,”

“They’re not exactly mine either, but it could be fun, right?”

“Hmm, maybe-“

“You’ve got to come, Crys! It can be our way of celebrating finishing this damn project,” Gigi persuaded, looking at Crystal lovingly; her ever-so successful technique of getting her own way, and how could Crystal say no to those eyes?

“Okay, yeah, why not! I mean, would your friends be okay with me stealing you away for a drink?”

“Don’t worry about Jaida and Nicky, if that’s what you mean. I won’t let them treat you like shit any more - they’re gonna have to get used to seeing you around.” Gigi said, nodding her head at Crystal as further confirmation, and Crystal couldn’t help but smile in response.

⋆

“Fuck, are we really finished with this shit? Thank God!” Gigi sighed turning around to face Crystal as she dropped the pen she had in her hand, stretching her fingers.

“Rodgers better appreciate this - we poured our blood sweat and tears int-“

“Oh wow, it seems my flair for the dramatic has rubbed off on you, Methyd,” Gigi laughed as she quickly flicked through their PowerPoint slides to make sure everything was fully prepared and in order.

Crystal rolled her eyes, letting a soft smile inundate her lips. “Now we’ve just got the presentation to tackle, and um, did I mention that public speaking is my _worst_ nightmare?”

“We’ll be fine, silly. You’re lucky, Rodgers loves you,”

“Enough about Rodgers, I need a minute to breathe.” Crystal sighed, as Gigi nodded in response, taking a loud deep breath, settling into a mock meditation position before laughing.

Gigi then stood up walking over to her velvet mauve Crosley record player which sat on the desk right next to her beloved sewing machine. The redhead bent down to access her small record stand that sat directly underneath the desk, pulling out a 12”, slightly battered looking record of the single _The Promise_ by When in Rome.

Upon hearing the familiar scratch and hum of the record beginning to play, Crystal opened her eyes, slightly sitting up to watch whatever Gigi was getting up to.

“Thought we could do with a little dance break to round off the evening,” Gigi smiled, motioning for Crystal to come and stand with her.

“Well, who would’ve thought that popular cheerleader, Gigi Goode was into cheesy 80s pop.” Crystal responded with a laugh as the song broke into the chorus.

Gigi was light-heartedly swaying and twirling to the music, bouncing on her feet as she grinned at Crystal. Admittedly, Crystal couldn’t help but be slightly shocked at how the taller girl lacked rhythm. In fact, it made her even more endearing in Crystal’s eyes if that was even possible, similar to that of Bambi on ice - in short, Gigi was fucking adorable.

Crystal couldn’t tear her eyes away from the redhead and she swears that she could feel her heart turn into jelly in her chest seeing Gigi this free and genuinely happy.

Crystal too joined in on the dancing, pumping out her best dance moves, and by best she means making horizontal V-signs with her fingers, passing them in front of her eyes whilst pouting her full lips and exaggeratedly moving her shoulders, emulating that one dance scene from _Pulp Fiction_.

They were very aware that they both looked like idiots, but in the moment, all Crystal could focus on was Gigi lip-syncing the lyrics to her, making her fall even deeper down the hole of infatuation.

“Come here, idiot,” Gigi smiled, pulling the brunette closer into her by wrapping her arms around her waist. “You’re different, d’you know that? I don’t know anybody else quite like you, Crys.” She whispered into Crystal’s ear.

Crystal gulped.

Gigi Goode was inches away from her face, and her hot breath ghosted over her ear. She suddenly realised what the movies meant by love being electrifying. Gigi was the electricity that coursed through Crystal’s veins.

There were a thousand different thoughts swimming around Crystal’s head, but “Fuck, you’re beautiful,” was all she could manage to say. The fluttering in her stomach was uncontrollable as she pushed a loose strand of Gigi’s light ginger hair behind her ears, feeling the tension in the air suck them up and push them even closer together.

Gigi’s brown eyes flickered between maintaining eye contact with Crystal and down to her lips, giving the brunette plenty of time to step away if this wasn’t what she wanted. Similarly, Crystal’s eyes began to fixate on Gigi’s pink lips - her mind running wild with what they would taste like, and how she’d been dreaming about this specific moment for months on end. The anticipation was devouring Crystal, leaving her desperate for what was to come, desperate for Gigi to fill the void that had been bubbling inside of her for years now, a void that no simple drunken hook-up or awkward first date could cure.

Luckily, she didn’t have to think for long as Gigi quickly closed the gap between them, placing her lips onto Crystals.

Crystal’s heart beat faster and faster as Gigi wound one hand through her curly brown hair, and placed another on Crystal’s waist, gripping slightly to maintain control of the kiss. She swore she could taste the feelings of intimacy, desire and familiarity on Gigi’s lips as their two worlds continued to collide; softly, sweetly, treading lightly to savour the moment and preserve it.

When they pulled away, the taste of those feelings still lingered on Crystal’s lips; their soft smiles and light giggles now filling the room.

Maybe there weren't fireworks exploding in their stomachs, but Crystal knew that she was completely and utterly one hundred percent right when she first concluded that Gigi Goode is the most radiant person she’s ever met.

Time seemed to stop when they kissed, but it still seemed to be over way too soon, and Crystal felt inclined to connect their lips for a second time, wanting to revel in the light taste of strawberry Chapstick, and the smell of Gigi’s floral perfume.

“I’ve, um, wanted to do that for a while now,” Gigi concluded, her lips slightly swollen and pink, and her cheeks rosy.

“That was better than I ever could’ve imagined,”

“Oh, so you’ve been imagining that, hmm?” Gigi quipped back, raising her eyebrow slightly.

“Shut up!” Crystal replied, burying her face in Gigi’s mane of ginger hair as she felt her cheeks flush red.

“Answer me, baby,” Gigi teased, enjoying the sight of seeing Crystal becoming increasingly flustered.

“Maybe I have, you know, once or twice,”

“Mmhmm, who’s the princess now?”

“I hate you!” Crystal joked.

“No, you don’t,” Gigi smirked, licking her lips slightly.

“You’re right, I don’t.”

“You’re cute, Crystal.” Gigi finished, placing a quick peck on Crystal’s lips.

When Crystal finally sunk into her bed a few hours later, she quickly settled into a peaceful sleep, the feeling of tenderness lighting up her heart.

**[Gigi] 11:34pm**

**sleep tight, beautiful xo**

⋆☆⋆


	4. chapter four

⋆☆⋆

“Is there a reason you’re so cheerful at 8am on this god-awful Friday morning?” Daegen said mid-yawn upon seeing Crystal almost bounce through the school hallway to her locker.

Crystal smiled knowingly in response, entering the code to her locker.

“Oh! You guys! Already?” Daegen almost yelled, her mouth agape; the prospect instantly bringing life to her in a way no form of caffeine could. “Wow, didn’t know you had it in ya, Methyd,”

“What? No! Daegen! We just kissed, idiot,” Crystal responded, her voice drawn to a whisper as she revealed what occurred the night before, unable to control how her cheeks flushed red. Just the thought of last night made her heart turn to putty. God, it was too early for this.

“Details, immediately!”

“Not here! Later,” Crystal hissed, her smile falling through, outing her calm facade as a sham whilst she got her textbooks out of her locker ready for Math class.

“You can reveal all as we get ready for the partaaay.” Daegen laughed, giving her friend a toothy grin before turning to walk to her first class of the day.

Crystal smiled to herself, shaking her head. Her mind was filled with all things sweet, and warm, and Gigi Goode.

Before she knew it, the school day was almost over - lunch had passed and last period had rolled by, meaning hers and Gigi’s presentation was over and done with, signalling the official end of their project work.

Gigi’s gentle encouragement and the way she squeezed Crystal’s hand under the desk put the brunette’s mind and heart at ease. Gigi’s bubbly energy was infectious, and it turned out that the presentation wasn’t all that bad with Gigi standing beside her; Crystal truly felt like she could take on anything with the redhead by her side.

“I think we smashed that,” Gigi whispered in Crystal’s ear as they went to sit back down in their seats.

“Yeah, I think we did.” Crystal smiled.

⋆

**[Crystal] 7:38pm**

**see ya at jan’s, loser <3 **

-

**[Gigi] 7:45pm**

**yaayy, ur coming! can’t wait xo**

-

**[Gigi] 8:49pm**

**are u here yet?? haven’t seen u :P hurry up!! xo**

-

**[Crystal] 8:51pm**

**we’ll be there in 10, dae couldn’t decide on an outfit as usual -.-**

-

“Fuck, this house is biiig.” Yvie drawled as Jan’s house finally came into sight.

“Plenty of rooms for you and Crystal to fuck your straight, cheerleader girlfriends in!” Daegen quipped back, earning laughs from both Daya and Lux who watched Crystal and Yvie simultaneously say “Shut up!” in amusement.

Crystal was slightly tipsy already after having pre-drinks with the girls whilst they were getting ready all together at Daegen’s place. The taste of rum and coke lingered on her lips, and her mind was hazy with the thought of what Gigi might be wearing - Crystal was prepared to drool at just the sight of her.

Crystal herself was wearing a simple black dress paired with black platform boots, a leather choker necklace with a silver heart cut-out on the centre, and a few mismatched bracelets hung on both wrists. Her mullet was carefully styled as usual, a few loose curls falling gracefully on her forehead, and her glasses were replaced with contacts. Crystal’s makeup was heavier than usual; her lashes long and wispy, eyeshadow and eyeliner thick and dark, and a black beauty spot sat above her red lips. Above all, she felt confident - the alcohol that was coursing through her veins aiding this.

Crystal took a swig from the bottle of rum Daegen was currently nursing, giving it back to the blonde as they walked up the steps to the front porch.

“Let’s go have fun, girls!” Daya squealed excitedly as they entered the house, taking in all of the expensive decor and the beautiful glass vases filled with big bouquets of colourful flowers.

“God, there better be some cute boys here. I haven’t got any in weeks,” Daegen groaned, vividly looking around the big, open-plan kitchen, her eyes prizing out guys who were fit to her taste.

Crystal and Yvie, on the other hand, went straight to the numerous bottles of alcohol and mixers laying on the black marble kitchen counter. As Crystal poured herself a drink, she tried to discretely look around for Gigi - she was desperate to see the girl, to talk to her, to kiss her, to touch her; excited for where the night may take them, especially after their presentation, which was filled with lingering touches and gazing eyes.

“Go get your girl, Methyd,” Yvie said, the smile audible in her voice. Upon hearing this, Crystal swung around from the kitchen counter ready to eagerly drink Gigi up, her gaze finally focusing on the redhead.

Crystal’s breath hitched in her throat, muttering curse words when she saw what Gigi was wearing. She looked better than Crystal could ever have imagined in a beautiful two-piece black floral top and sinfully short skirt. The fishnet tights accentuated her long legs, and Crystal fought to keep obscenely graphic thoughts from her mind (the booze wasn’t helping). The black stilettos she was wearing made her tower over Jan and Nicky, and as Crystal caught her laughing at something one of the girls had said, she couldn’t wait to hear that honey sweet laugh in her ear.

Gigi caught Crystal’s intense stare from across the room, grinning widely once she saw the girl, nodding her head to the side, motioning to the door so Crystal and her could escape the loud hum of voices and music that was filling up the kitchen. Upon excusing herself from the conversation she was having with Jan and Nicky, Gigi hurried into the quieter sitting room where she found Crystal already waiting for her, leaning against one of the various bar trolleys littered amongst the house.

“Hey there, pretty girl,” Crystal said softly, taking a swig of her drink - a bit of liquid courage for good measure.

“You look amazing, Crys,” Gigi said, beaming widely, standing closely to Crystal so that their arms were touching.

Gigi swayed slightly, her cheeks a little rosier than usual and her pupils larger suggesting that she was already tipsy too, suiting Crystal’s slightly drunken haze.

After a few beats of silence, Crystal interrupted the staring contest the girls found themselves in; tonight, intense eye contact seemed to be their love language.

“I can’t stop looking at you,” The brunette admitted, grinning shyly. “Did you make that yourself?” Crystal continued, motioning to Gigi’s outfit.

“Mmhm,” Gigi answered, a proud smirk taking over her features.

“Who’s the creative one now?”

“Still you!” Gigi giggled, a slight blush appearing on her already rosy cheeks.

“Come here,” Crystal pulled the redhead even closer into her in a quick moment of confidence.

“You’re drunk,” Gigi said, their noses touching.

“You’re beautiful,” Crystal responded almost immediately, her eyes darting down to Gigi’s red lips, the colour of her lipstick matching the red flowers on her top and skirt. Red was her colour, Crystal internally noted before connecting their lips in a kiss much heavier than their last one.

Their lips collided fervently - warmth and passion and burning hot flesh meshing into one feeling. Gigi whined into Crystal’s mouth upon Crystal biting gently on her lower lip, testing the waters, Gigi gripping Crystal’s hips hard in response making the brunette gasp - both girls desperate to illicit any kind of reaction out of the other.

Crystal had kissed numerous different girls in the past few years, but the feeling of Gigi’s soft lips and her wandering hands made her feel like she was entering unchartered territory, like she was on the cusp of tumbling into a new world, with new feelings and new experiences. All the loud sounds, and hoots and hollers of the party seemed to blend into one as they kissed and kissed and continued kissing.

Gigi suddenly ripped herself away from Crystal, immediately tensing up, the brunette opened her eyes in shock, her mind running through things that she could’ve done wrong in the past few seconds. Gigi looked like a deer in headlights, pushing herself away from Crystal.

“Well, I didn’t expect you to be hanging with Methhead, Gi, that’s a new one,” Nicky’s voiced boomed over the music, attracting some attention from those also gathered in the sitting room.

“We’re not hanging out,” Gigi began, her tone sharp. She sounded disgusted at the prospect of even hanging out with Crystal, earning a chuckle from Nicky. “She complimented my gorgeous ensemble here, and you know me, I’m not one to be rude - especially to those less privileged than me,” Gigi finished with a threatening smirk, one that was audible in the usual sweet tones of her voice.

Crystal felt a panic coming on, her eyes wide as she swallowed the lump that was beginning to form in her throat. Gigi had completely switched, matching the teasing, childish insults that typically came Nicky and Jaida, but never Gigi, stupidly, Crystal thought Gigi was above that. Stupidly, she thought Gigi _liked_ her.

Daegen, Daya, Lux and Yvie clambered into the room upon hearing the growing confrontation.

“What the _fuck_ is going on here?” Daegen said, the sight of Gigi and Nicky glaring down at a slightly shrunken Crystal immediately fuelling a fire inside of her.

“Great, now the entire circus is here! Roll up, roll up,” Nicky responded laughing at the girls, looking down at them like she did in the school hallways.

“I-“ 

“Save it, Crystal, I’m not like _you_!”

Crystal felt like her neck was being crushed under the weight of Gigi’s words, like Gigi had placed a steel knife in her windpipe suffocating her and devouring her of the little air she had left. Tears were threatening to spill, and she swears that she’s never felt so humiliated in her entire life. In fact, she’d take Jaida and Nicky screaming their worst insults at her a thousand times over instead of this. The home she’d built in Gigi over the past few weeks had just been set alight and was burning to the ground before her very eyes - she knew she should’ve never gotten involved with a straight girl, let alone straight, popular, cheerleader Gigi Goode.

She wanted to scream and cry at her, curse her out for leading her on and humiliating her in the worst way possible, but Crystal knew better than to speak back.

“Yeah, she’s not a fuckin’ dy-“ One of the frat boys behind Nicky shouted, not getting to finish his sentence because of Daegen’s quick interruption.

“Keep your fucking mouth shut, you fucking pig! Don’t you dare speak to her like that,” The blonde screamed, desperately trying to break loose from Daya and Lux’s tight grip on her, holding her back from the boy.

“Hey, let’s go,” Yvie whispered to Crystal, pulling her away from the rapidly brewing confrontation, tapping Daegen on the shoulder, motioning for the girls to follow them out of the house.

As Yvie lead her away, Crystal looked up from the floor, quickly glancing at Gigi who was still staring right at her. Crystal couldn’t decipher her gaze - the redhead’s jaw was clamped shut, her eyes glaring, but there seemed to be something else expressed on her face as their eyes met - whether it was guilt, sadness or even hatred, Crystal couldn’t work it out, and it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

The fresh, velvet night air hit Crystal square in the face, her mind and body felt numb, motionless even, as her eyes stared off into mid-air hazily.

_I’m not like you. I’m not like you. I’m not like you._

The sentence repeated itself on a loop in Crystal’s mind, sending her dizzy with a whirlwind of embarrassment. Upon hearing those words leap out of Gigi’s mouth, Crystal felt her heart crumble in her chest, spilling out onto the carpet, shattered into tiny splinters for the whole party to see.

A supercut of the evenings Gigi and Crystal spent together played in her mind, the incessant worrying of her friends becoming background noise. Gigi’s sweet compliments, her soft smiles, the way she’d rest her head on Crystal’s shoulder in attempt to get closer to her, and the fire that lit up in Crystal’s stomach whenever their lips connected, all played in one giant jumble. Crystal questioned whether it all was just in her head after all, or worse, if Gigi was setting her up, playing one big prank on her.

Crystal wished she could hate the girl, it’d make the pain she was currently experiencing hurt a whole lot less, but at this moment, it was seemingly impossible, instead her hatred went straight to herself and her own naivety.

She internally kicked herself for believing Gigi when she said she wouldn’t let anyone treat her badly anymore - it just hurt worse knowing that it was Gigi herself who was treating her like this. She was stupid to believe a single word that came out of Gigi’s mouth, I mean, Jaida and Nicky are her _sisters,_ after all.

And anyway, girls like Gigi never liked girls like Crystal, it’s just how the world has always worked.

⋆☆⋆


	5. chapter five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the fifth & final chapter - i hope i've done it justice <3
> 
> thank you for all your lovely comments & support, i am so grateful.

**⋆☆⋆**

**[4 missed calls from Gigi] 12:08am**

⋆

It was Saturday evening when Crystal found herself back in the haven of her bedroom; the organised mess, musk of burning incense and poster ridden walls were particularly comforting to her, especially in this current moment.

She had spent Friday night and the majority of Saturday daytime at Daegen’s with the girls since they seemed reluctant to let her leave after the scene at the party. Crystal tried to let on that she was over the humiliation and heartache of the night prior, telling the girls she slept it off and that she already felt better, but she knew that wasn’t the case. Gigi’s piercing words were etched into the brunette’s brain, leaving her numb with embarrassment every time they replayed themselves. Now she was at home, in the comfort of her bed, her duvet wrapped around her tightly and her teddy bear wedged in her grip, she’d never wanted to disappear more. She was _dreading_ the beginning of the upcoming school week.

It was hard enough ignoring Gigi’s calls after the party, and it was even harder to ignore the texts she’d been sending on and off all day - Crystal couldn’t imagine what it’d be like seeing her at school; above all, she was scared she’d fall for her all over again, making this even harder than it needs to be.

**[Gigi] 7:13pm**

**i can’t express how sorry i am, crys**

**i wish i knew how to make it all better**

**i mean it when i say that i really, really like you. this wasn’t just a little, meaningless fling to me, i’m so sorry that i treated it that way**

**you mean the world to me**

**i’m not asking for forgiveness or another chance or whatever, i just want you to know that i truly am sorry**

**god, i’m so stupid**

**i miss you**

**[Read 7:57pm]**

⋆

Monday morning was dreadful.

I mean, for the record, Crystal wasn’t the biggest fan of high school on a good day, let alone was she a fan after a night drowned out by tears and oversleeping her alarm by at least half an hour, making her reasonably late for her first class. To top it all off, she was currently makeup-less, wearing an oversized sweater and hungry from the lack of breakfast she consumed, or hadn’t consumed.

The day was going painfully slow, but her final period of literature class still came around far too quickly for Crystal’s liking.

Upon entering the classroom, she immediately averted her eyes to the floor - she couldn’t face Jaida and Nicky today, and she definitely couldn’t look at Gigi the wound still seeming too fresh. She felt stupid for feeling ashamed, and for a split second she almost wished she could push that emotion onto Gigi.

Around 25 minutes into the lesson, Crystal could hear Jaida and Nicky whispering behind her, their snickers travelling up the classroom, the sound hitting her and leaving it echoing in her ears, filling her up with anxiety and even more humiliation. Crystal could swear she’d felt that feeling enough for a lifetime over the past weekend.

After a couple minutes of dealing with the hushed sounds of their laughter, Crystal raised her hand asking if she could go to the bathroom, hoping that a moment away from the classroom would clear the anxiety and worry pooling in her chest.

Splashing cool water on her face helped her for a hot minute.

The sound of gentle footsteps on the white tile floor interrupted her moment of peace. Turning around to greet the footsteps, Crystal felt the anxiety ram itself back down into her chest.

“Hey,” Gigi said gently, almost whispering, fearful she might scare the brunette away. “You haven’t been replying to my texts.”

“I don’t want to talk to you, Gigi,” Crystal snapped, stepping back slightly so she was against the row of sinks. Crystal felt like Gigi was cornering her - she couldn’t quite figure out if there has ever been a time she’d felt weaker.

“I’m so sorry, Crys.”

The sound of Gigi’s voice was making Crystal’s heart melt and ache simultaneously, but she wasn’t one to give in so easily; no, she _couldn’t_ give in so easily. Fuck, what was it about Gigi Goode that made her body react this way?

“You really fucking hurt me. Just tell me now, was this all just some big fucking setup?” Crystal began, rambling at the redhead who was now intensely looking at her; all pouty lips and puppy dog eyes. “Did you guys plan this to destroy me? Make me fall for you to humiliate me? I’m just waiting for Jaida and Nicky to burst through the door now, so you can all fucking laugh at me again.”

“No, no! Fuck, of course not. You mean the world to me, I seriously cannot get you out of my head, Crystal.”

Crystal shook her head in response. “You’re not like _me_ , remember?” She responded, her tone sharp and piercing.

“I’m scared. I’m sorry, I’m just so fucking scared,” Crystal softened immediately upon hearing this. “I-i thought I was straight; I’ve always pushed these feelings down. I’m terrified, but when I’m with you everything feels so right. I can’t lose that, I can’t lose you. I know that’s not an exc-“

Crystal cut Gigi off, bringing her into a hug.

“It’ll take time, Gi.” Crystal whispered into the redhead’s ear mid-embrace, inhaling in the scent of her coconut shampoo.

Gigi nodded in response, gripping Crystal tighter, tears blurring her brown eyes.

“Let me make it up to you,” Gigi pulled away from Crystal slightly so she could look at the brunette, her arms still wrapped tightly around Crystal’s waist. “I know I said that I don’t expect another chance, and well, I don’t. But, please.”

“You don’t need to do that,” Crystal said, wiping away the tears forming in her eyes with her shirtsleeve. “Just, please treat me nicely. Please.” She finished, giggling shyly as she disconnected their eyes, looking to the ground.

Gigi gently placed her hand on Crystal’s chin, lifting her face back up so she could look at her. She nodded at the smaller girl, smiling softly.

The smile still remained on Gigi’s lips when she kissed Crystal a few moments later.

⋆

Gigi didn’t let Crystal leave the bathroom until she’d made the brunette promise that she’d allow Gigi to make it up to her. Whatever she means by that, Crystal didn’t know, and admittedly, she was slightly nervous to find out.

So, when Crystal found herself on Gigi’s front porch at 7pm, she couldn’t help but feel the same way she did on that very first evening she came to Gigi’s to begin working on their project. Like she always did before knocking, she ran a hand through her mullet, styling it quickly with the help of her iPhone camera. Somehow, this felt very full circle.

“Baby, you came!” Gigi said with a huge grin as Crystal stepped through the door, shutting it behind herself gently.

“Duh! I mean, I didn’t really have a choice, did I?” Crystal quipped back, mirroring Gigi’s grin.

“Hey!” Gigi pouted, pushing Crystal against the now closed front door, immediately connecting their lips. “Parents are out for the night,” She continued breathily between kisses.

“So, that’s what this is?” Crystal smirked at the taller girl, raising her eyebrows.

Gigi shushed Crystal in response, pulling her into the kitchen down the hall. “I’ve got something for you! Close your eyes,” Gigi said excitedly once they were in the middle of the kitchen next to the breakfast bar.

“Aaand, open!”

Crystal opened her eyes to see Gigi stood in front of her holding a huge, clearly home-baked cake, her face plastered with a sheepish grin.

It was a double layered red velvet cake, with uneven, thick cream cheese frosting covered in rainbow sprinkles. There was barely legible, red icing plastered on top, matching the red cake sponge, that read ‘I’m Sorry’ with a wonky heart at the bottom.

Crystal’s heart melted at how much she’d clearly tried. If this was Gigi making it up to her, then she was sold. (It didn’t take much).

“It’s red velvet, I remember you said it’s your favourite,” Gigi smiled shyly, placing the cake back on the counter.

“God, you’re fucking adorable,”

“I know right,”

“Never mind, I take that back,”

“Don’t be mean,” Gigi pouted for what must’ve been at least the 3rd time of the evening - and they’d only been together short of 15 minutes. From their first full encounter in Mrs Cox’s detention, Crystal learnt that Gigi’s pout was a sight that only spurred her on further.

“Payback, princess,” Crystal whispered before pulling Gigi closer into her and connecting their lips for a quick kiss.

“Don’t even mention that,” Gigi began, covering her eyes with her hands. “The guilt is eating away at me,” She shook her head with a groan, looking down at the floor.

“Consider it unmentioned,” Crystal smiled softly at the redhead, taking hold of her hand and squeezing it gently. “It’s gonna take some time to get over, though, Geege,”

“Take all the time you need, angel. I’m not going anywhere.”

⋆

It was past 9pm when the girls shared a piece of Gigi’s cake, and Crystal was happy to conclude that it tasted a whole lot better than it looked.

Funnily enough, that wasn’t the only thing Crystal concluded that evening.

Crystal Elizabeth decided that she has never been more grateful for Jaida and Nicky making fun of her favourite jacket, because little did they know, they led her straight to Gigi Goode, and for the first time in her 17 years of life, she noticed that her world was suddenly immersed in sunlight.

⋆☆⋆

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr is @ggigigoode if you'd like to get in touch - don't be afraid to dm me or to send me asks/prompts :) all details about upcoming fics etc will be on there <3

**Author's Note:**

> feedback is always appreciated! <3


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